sir_eccles

Let me see, a short Belgian gentleman with a funny mustache, a mysterious American businessman who wanted to employ you as a bodyguard and 12 other shifty looking people with a murderous glint in their eyes...

tonrob

I once planned a trip from London to Hi Chi Minh City by train (3 weeks) and actually got a couple of people to agree to come in princuple, but it all kind of fizzled out before we actually got round to booking anything.

TimberHut

I like the London to India one on there:

http://www.seat61.com/India-overland.htm

Simple!

Scouse Express

http://www.oz-bus.com/

Try this.


Jim.

Juswus

Squirrel

Can't say I've ever wanted to visit California, but I would love to do Boston to Florida by Amtrak.

KetteringEnglandRocks2005

I have never done this myself but it sounds like fun. Have a great time.

Bob

Amtrak are shit though...

tonrob

The only problem that I've experienced in traveling on the eastern side of the country is miles and miles of bloody trees alongside the train so you don'y see anything for miles at a time.

And what are the alternatives for long-distance train travel? You have to want to do it, faults and all, otherwise just catch a plane or drive.

Juswus

I thought they were pretty good every time I've been on them. Perhaps you're posher than me though

Bob

Only been on the train a couple of times, not including commuter trains, so pretty limited experience admittedly but...they're basically larger versions of the Greyhound bus in my experience.

Smelled of piss, filled of people who look like they're just been released and are quickly on their return to prison and terribly shit at being on time

GeoffM

A better class than Greyhound - but you're right about the lateness thing . Arriving the same day as scheduled is considered "on time" to them.

Mind you, in some ways, they're quicker than the UK. When somebody decides to use the train as a personal guillotine, in the UK the tracks will be closed for a good 24 hours while they pick up the bits, tut-tut loudly, and stomp around for a bit. In the US, shovel it to one side, hose down the loco, and be off within a couple of hours.

IMHO the East Coast trains are the worst - Silver Star and Silver Meteor (I think). Miserable crews and only single level trains that tend to be quite busy. None of the camaraderie aspect of the longer haul trains out west.

tonrob

I much prefer the single level trains based on my experience so far. The upper bunk in a roomette on the upstairs level of a bi-level car is a bit like trying to sleep in a coffin. Not for the claustrophobic at all...

The upper bunk in a single-level roomette has much more room and even has its own window to look out of as you lie tucked-up in bed. An infinitely better experience altogether.

GeoffM

Ah, Superliner roomettes compared to Viewliner roomettes. On some forums you would be taken away by men in white coats if you so much as dared to entertain the idea of more than one adult in a Superliner roomette (thus needing the top bunk). I've done it and it's not great admittedly. Viewliners, yes better.

Viewliners, however, have the dubious distinction of having the toilet in your room. So when you see people just standing outside their bedrooms, it's usually because their other half is having a dump. Either stand outside or try not to stare or sniff. Lovely.

However, for the rest of the train, I think Superliners are much better. For one, the lounge car actually has decent size windows that (in most cases) the seats face. The single level version is usually just the dining car when it's not open for service. The vertically narrow windows of the coach cars, supposedly following the design of aircraft, are horrible. And just being higher up on a Superliner just feels good for me .

Squirrel

Only been on the Acela service and that was fine, similar to UK Intercity trains, definitely better than buses/coaches.